Cold weather, not North Korea, the concern for those coming to the 2018 Winter Olympics

Team USA figure skater hopes to bring home a medal from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after taking home his second consecutive U.S. figure skating national championship last month.
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Icicles hang from a handrail as a rider travels across a zip line over an inlet of the Sea of Japan south of Anmok Beach at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.(Photo: Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports)

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – With just four days to go until the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics, it’s safe to say that in and around the mountains that are the heart and soul of these Games, there’s more conversation about the weather than North Korea.

This might be hard to believe, but it’s true. Those who have already arrived for the Olympics are worried more about the frigid temperatures, especially for the opening ceremony and other outdoor events, than South Korea’s unpredictable neighbor just 50 miles to the north.

While politics can and likely still will play a significant role in the story of these Games, for the first time in 24 years, the Winter Olympics have come to a place where it’s actually winter.

Single-digit temperatures gradually nudge higher when the sun comes out, only to plunge again later. A brutal, biting wind whistles day and night. Everyone is bundled up nearly beyond recognition to guard against the frost bite that descended on some poor souls who attended recent outdoor events in the region.

The last time a Winter Games felt this wintry was the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Since then, the Games of ice and snow have persevered in temperate or unexpectedly warm climates, from Nagano to Salt Lake City to Turin to Vancouver to Sochi.

Now, though, they’ve found a home in a quaint ski village reminiscent of Winter Olympics long ago, names out of the history books: Lake Placid, Squaw Valley, Grenoble and St. Moritz.

This step back in time, though, can be disarming. You arrive at the Main Press Center expecting a fortress cordoned off by acres of fencing and guarded by hundreds of well-armed security officers.

When the car in which you’re riding drives literally to the front door of the MPC to drop you off, and when you’ve walked through the metal detectors and had your bags scanned a minute later, you almost can’t believe this is the Olympics. There is security, to be sure, but the foreboding perimeter that has become a staple at every recent Olympics – the fencing that required walks of 20-30 minutes just to find a way in -- is missing.

In three days here, I still have not seen a gun. I’m sure they exist, but those who are working at the security checkpoints I’ve been through give the impression they are welcoming you to the theater, not to an armed camp. There’s something very appealing about that. Who knows if it can last.

This is the scene in the mountains, in this town of less than 50,000, the smallest city (including the surrounding environs) to host an Olympic Games, summer or winter, since Lillehammer. A half-hour away lies Gangneung, a city of 213,000 on South Korea’s east coast, which will host the skating events. This is not unusual for a Games to be shared by neighboring cities and regions. In fact, it’s unusual these days if it isn't.

As the start of these Olympics approaches, there are concerns about attendance, with some who live in Seoul reporting that none of their friends are yet talking about making the couple-hour trek into the mountains. There is a worry that despite the raw cold, there has been little snow. (See Vancouver, Sochi, et. al.)

And there will always be a nervous eye cast on North Korea, South Korea’s enemy-turned-sports-partner, at least in the parade of nations at the opening ceremony and on the ice for women’s hockey.

But think for a moment about what we’re not talking about here: if the venues and roads and buildings will all be finished on time, if the buses and trains will run as scheduled, if South Korea is ready.

Oh, South Korea is ready. All you have to do is land at Incheon Airport and glide through the glistening terminal, a passageway of efficiency, on your way to a region that is nothing if not prepared for its turn in the spotlight.

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Members of the Norwegian men's Olympic curling team, from left, Christoffer Svae, Thomas Ulsrud, Haavard Peterson and Torger Nergaard pose in their unique uniforms on Jan. 23, 2018, in New York. The team is expected to be a fan favorite for a third straight Olympics, thanks to the brightly colored pants that stand out.
Bebeto Matthews, AP

Members of the Norwegian men's Olympic curling team, from left, Christoffer Svae, Thomas Ulsrud, Haavard Peterson and Torger Nergaard pose in their unique uniforms on Jan. 23, 2018, in New York. The team is expected to be a fan favorite for a third straight Olympics, thanks to the brightly colored pants that stand out.
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Gian Ehrenzeller, Keystone via EPA-EFE

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Gian Ehrenzeller, Keystone via EPA-EFE

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Jeff Franko, USA TODAY